First responders and military personnel use communications channels to stay in contact in challenging situations. For example, firefighters may rely on radios to stay in contact with each other, with different team members supporting one or members inside of a building by monitoring the exterior of a building. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/183,176, incorporated herein in its entirety, provides an example of a mesh base station for providing services to first responders.
However, if a communications channel becomes unavailable or is turned off unexpectedly, the situation may become dangerous and potentially life-threatening for those relying on the communications channel. It is therefore desirable to have a communications channel that makes its users aware that the channel will become unavailable before the fact.